Looking for advice on bronze cowls

[hd002e]

I am restoring a vintage sailboat and took off the bronze cowls to get polished. The polisher said that if I dont varnish them they will go dull in no time in the sea mist.

I am new to classic boats and would love for some opinions on this topic. It seems like a one way street, once I varnish it i’ll have to keep up with it. Is bronze hardware like these too sacrosanct?

[tkeithlu]

He's right. Think overnight.

Varnish carefully, being sure not to leave any holes. Check them frequently, and when you find a hole and growing tarnish, polish that area and revarnish.

If you need to use a wire brush, get a brass one (at some cost). Steel brushes will leave tiny bits of steel in the surface.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081JBK5G...sin_2_img&th=1

Those cowls date back to hired crews that polished them each day. Gorgeous, and I'm really impressed by your project. Just realize that if you don't varnish, you'll do nothing else on the restoration.

[boatpoker]

A friend with a KK42 trawler hated the patina appearance of his bronze ports.
He had them electroplated with gold. A decade later still glistening

Hard to tell from the photos but those appear to have small dents.
Bronze is much harder than brass and tough to dent.
i'd guess those might be brass.

[hd002e]

OK, point well taken. I will get that bronze wire brush, I have a lot of portholes to do as well. Thank you!

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

He's right. Think overnight.

Varnish carefully, being sure not to leave any holes. Check them frequently, and when you find a hole and growing tarnish, polish that area and revarnish.

If you need to use a wire brush, get a brass one (at some cost). Steel brushes will leave tiny bits of steel in the surface.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0081JBK5G...sin_2_img&th=1

Those cowls date back to hired crews that polished them each day. Gorgeous, and I'm really impressed by your project. Just realize that if you don't varnish, you'll do nothing else on the restoration.

[hd002e]

I love that gold plating story! I am afraid after all the masking tape and polyurethane sealant, I may run out of budget for that kind of bling

There were some dents but I had them fixed up and some tears brazed. They may be brass, I dont know of a good way to tell (I am colorblind).

Originally Posted by boatpoker

A friend with a KK42 trawler hated the patina appearance of his bronze ports.
He had them electroplated with gold. A decade later still glistening

Hard to tell from the photos but those appear to have small dents.
Bronze is much harder than brass and tough to dent.
i'd guess those might be brass.

[Orion Jim]

I prefer the natural appearance of verdigris which forms when the bronze is left to its own devices. Here is a before and after…one year apart.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^

The natural color of bronze is green. The natural color of teak is grey. Trying to change this natural state is offensive to Neptune and other important gods. Take up t hat cudgel at your own risk and be aware of the cause when disaster strikes.

Jim

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

I prefer the natural appearance of verdigris which forms when the bronze is left to its own devices. Here is a before and after…one year apart.

Orion-Jim, are you sure those are not copper cowls?

[Searles]

I have 6 of those made up cowls and 2 cast bronze ,yes the made up ones do dent easily the bronze ones not so much BUT twice as heavy ,not copper a type of bronze,make from sheet and cold formed ,can still by them new from the Far East ,double chrome and a good wax polish will give you many years of joy ,⛵️⚓️

[gwbull]

Had 4 beautiful cast bronze cowls on our ketch. The plating had been deteriorating to the extent that, to look better, they’d need to be re-plated. But as I dremeled off the plating, the rich golden bronze was magnificent… so I continued with the dremel, then went to various fine grit sanding from 400 to 3000. I repainted the interiors white and then used rustoleum clear spray lacquer (2+ coats) on the exteriors. RESULTS WERE OUTSTANDING, LOTS OF ACCOLADES, 3 YEARS LATER IN THE KEYS, STILL NEEDED NO REFINISH. You will love the look. Just be advised, if you’re doing this yourself, the sanding took a LONG time. Professional de-plating would speed things up. Also the lacquering process has to be carefully done to avoid runs — best done outdoors with NO WIND and 360* spraying access to maintain the same distance to the target cowl. The finished cowls gleamed, of course, but they did not conflict with the greenish natural finish of all the other bronze on deck and ports. Tradition likes the natural finish throughout, and I like Tradition. But, c’mon. You gotta step out now and then…

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

^^^^

The natural color of bronze is green. The natural color of teak is grey. Trying to change this natural state is offensive to Neptune and other important gods. Take up t hat cudgel at your own risk and be aware of the cause when disaster strikes.

Jim

Brilliant!

[bailsout]

I like the patina on mine. Would rather spend time on keeping the mahogany varnished.

[CarinaPDX]

I go with the natural patina as well. I am due for a repainting of the inside of the cowls though. Mine came painted red inside but I am thinking of perhaps white or the off-white that matches the house top. Every decade or two I polish the inside of the bronze portlights but never any external bronze. With bronze it is just cosmetic as the corrosion is self-limiting - she looks great all tarted up but that is not what feels comfortable.

Greg

[tvangilder]

I work on traditional sailboats nearly exclusively. New bronze hardware is almost ways polished once, so that it turns green evenly once installed. the green is so desirable that occasionally we are asked by clients in the great lakes to turn new hardware green before we ship it.